News for the Hospitality Executive |
Lead Me: Help Me to Become More Than I
Realize I Can Be
February 1, 2012 Everyday there are many employees who go to work, and are looking for one thing. No, the one thing I am referring to has nothing to do with compensation. The “one thing” is more intrinsic in nature. These employees are looking to be inspired. Tony Zseigh, CEO of Zappos.com, made a very interesting statement that really resonated with me. He said, “At Zappos.com, we stopped looking for ways to motivate our team and started looking for ways to inspire them.” The connotation is that being inspired resonates on a much deeper level and tends to last longer than being merely motivated, which may not be as enduring. On a personal note, I know that my greatest contributions at work almost always happened after I felt inspired to do more than what was expected. I’ve been fortunate to have had multiple mentors throughout my career. These mentors guided me, challenged me, and yes, inspired me to see more, do more and become more. The purpose of this article is to shed some light on what it takes to inspire your team to become more than they realize they can be. So, here are six things that inspire people at work (from the employee’s perspective):
* Voice
of the Employee: “I want to be on a winning team. I
need to
know where we are going. Please tell me. After all, if I know where we
are
going, I will be more inclined to help us get there. Lead Me.”
* Voice
of the Employee: “I need to know how I fit into the
bigger
picture. Is my specific job even that important? The vision and mission
both
sound good, but I don’t know how I can possibly help fulfill them. Lead
me.”
* Voice
of the Employee: “I need to know how this company
contributes to the well-being of society. How does the service and/or
product
we provide help to improve people’s lives? Are we volunteering our
time,
donating to charities and being environmentally responsible? Lead me.”
* Voice
of the Employee: “I need you to know me, and
understand me.
Take the time to learn both my professional and personal goals.
Challenge me to
achieve them. Mentor me, coach me, and follow-up with me. Lead me.”
* Voice
of the Employee: “I need you to set high
expectations and
commit to them. Please don’t compromise them. As easy as it is to look
the
other way when a team member doesn’t pick up that piece of paper,
please say
something. I love my job and I love this company, but I don’t want to
be a part
of a losing team. I want us to win. This team deserves to win and
winning teams
have winning leaders. These leaders do not tolerate foolishness. My
only
professional dream is to work for a team AND a leader who are both
committed to
excellence. Have I found them? Lead me.”
About Bryan K. Williams Dr. Bryan K. Williams is the Chief Service Officer of B.Williams Enterprise, and the author of Engaging Service: 22 Ways to Become a Service Superstar and Work Like You Own It! 20 Ways to Go From Meeting to Exceeding Your Customers’ Expectations. Bryan’s passion is world-class customer service, and has facilitated workshops and delivered keynotes all over the world for various companies. He speaks on a variety of topics related to service excellence, employee engagement, and organizational improvement. As a consultant, Bryan works closely with companies to design, develop, and implement sustainable service strategies. His company’s online store includes a growing collection of customer service products that are well-suited for your training library.
Both of Bryan’s books can be purchased at http://shop.bwenterprise.net/ |
B. Williams Enterprise, LLC Website: www.bwenterprise.net Email: [email protected] Facebook: BWEnterprise Twitter: @bwenterprise Phone: 240-401-6958 |